Introduction
News that a mad bull is loose on Crete and destroying crops and livelihoods reaches Eurystheus, and naturally he thinks at once that the gods have given him another opportunity to dispose of his cousin Heracles.
WHEN King Minos of Crete promised to sacrifice to Poseidon whatever should next emerge from the sea, Poseidon kindly sent him a superb white bull.
Minos, however, could not bring himself to destroy so magnificent a beast, so he kept it for himself and substituted another from his own herds. At this, Poseidon’s bull went berserk, which is what gave Eurystheus the idea of sending Heracles to fetch it.
Poseidon was not best pleased either, and at his bidding Aphrodite induced Queen Pasiphaë to fall in love with the bull. A half bull, half man called the Minotaur was the result, which Minos eventually confined in the Labyrinth, an ingenious maze.
Meanwhile, Heracles wrestled its sire, Poseidon’s white bull, to the ground, and delivered it to Eurystheus – some say he carried it home on his shoulders. As soon as Heracles released it, the bull went mad again, causing havoc across all Arcadia before rampaging on to Marathon, where at last Theseus slew it.
Précis
Heracles was sent to Crete to capture a magnificent white bull, a gift to King Minos, which had gone mad after the king failed to sacrifice it to Poseidon - it was this bull that sired the dreadful Minotaur. Heracles delivered it to Eurystheus as required, but the bull escaped and ravaged the countryside until Theseus hunted it down. (58 / 60 words)
Heracles was sent to Crete to capture a magnificent white bull, a gift to King Minos, which had gone mad after the king failed to sacrifice it to Poseidon - it was this bull that sired the dreadful Minotaur. Heracles delivered it to Eurystheus as required, but the bull escaped and ravaged the countryside until Theseus hunted it down.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, despite, if, just, not, ought, since, unless.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Destroy. Grind. Ingenious.
2 Go. Keep. Last.
3 Across. Send. Well.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
